BBC asks Church Commissioners ‘What would Jesus sell?’
-14/03/06
The BBC’s flagship consumer affairs programme has challenged the body responsible for the Church of England’s financial dealings over a controversial property decision.
The investigation by the BBC’s Watchdog programme was shown on prime time television on Tuesday evening.
The programme looked at the Church Commissioner’s decision to sell some Octavia Hill estates in London, which house 1,100 tenants, including key workers like ambulance staff and teachers.
The sale went ahead despite claims by MPs and Christian housing groups that the Church’s Commissioners were only interested in profit.
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The investigation by the programme, which usually deals with rogue traders and those who exploit the poor and vulnerable, will be taken as an indication of how scandalous many people have viewed the recent decision to sell the property.
Interviewed by Watchdog was the Bishop of Worcester, Peter Selby, who told the programme that the decision had been reached by the Church Commissioners for primarily financial reasons.
The bishop has previously said he believes the decision has effectively destroyed the missionary work of the Church in the local community.
The programme also featured interviews with local Church of England clergy who were actively campaigning against the proposals by the Church Commissioners, as well as residents, some of who burst into tears on camera after they discovered that their homes were being sold.
Following an investigative feature which looked into the decision by the Church Commissioners and included interviews with campaigners, Andrew Brown, Secretary to the Church Commissioners, was interviewed live in the BBC studio.
Watchdog Presenter Julia Bradbury’s opening question was “What would Jesus have made of all this?”.
The Secretary to the Church Commissioners did not answer the question.
You can read more about the Watchdog report on the Watchdog web site here
You can read the response from the Church Commissioners to the Watchdog programme here
The BBC’s flagship consumer affairs programme has challenged the body responsible for the Church of England’s financial dealings over a controversial property decision.
The investigation by the BBC’s Watchdog programme was shown on prime time television on Tuesday evening.
The programme looked at the Church Commissioner’s decision to sell some Octavia Hill estates in London, which house 1,100 tenants, including key workers like ambulance staff and teachers.
The sale went ahead despite claims by MPs and Christian housing groups that the Church’s Commissioners were only interested in profit.
The investigation by the programme, which usually deals with rogue traders and those who exploit the poor and vulnerable, will be taken as an indication of how scandalous many people have viewed the recent decision to sell the property.
Interviewed by Watchdog was the Bishop of Worcester, Peter Selby, who told the programme that the decision had been reached by the Church Commissioners for primarily financial reasons.
The bishop has previously said he believes the decision has effectively destroyed the missionary work of the Church in the local community.
The programme also featured interviews with local Church of England clergy who were actively campaigning against the proposals by the Church Commissioners, as well as residents, some of who burst into tears on camera after they discovered that their homes were being sold.
Following an investigative feature which looked into the decision by the Church Commissioners and included interviews with campaigners, Andrew Brown, Secretary to the Church Commissioners, was interviewed live in the BBC studio.
Watchdog Presenter Julia Bradbury’s opening question was “What would Jesus have made of all this?”.
The Secretary to the Church Commissioners did not answer the question.
You can read more about the Watchdog report on the Watchdog web site here
You can read the response from the Church Commissioners to the Watchdog programme here